Recent studies have indicated that bacteria within each human stomach have the capacity to influence what humans crave and prefer to eat.

Rather than merely passively living-off the nutrients we eat, these microbes stimulate the nutrients they need, and in effect, influence their growth.

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There are a variety of bacteria in our stomachs, each needing different nutrients to survive. There are others that prefer sugars, while others are more interested in fat.

Bacteria then compete with one another for food to retain a niche within our digestive tracts.

Bacteria also have an influence in our actions, said Athena Aktipis, PhD, co-founder of the Center for Evolution and Cancer with the Helen Diller Loved ones Complete Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

While it isn't clear how this takes place, the diverse neighborhood of microbes collectively known as the "gut microbiome" could be releasing molecules that affect our physiologic behaviors.

This effect occurs because our stomach is linked to the immune program in the endochrine system and in the nervous system, as well.

Although the news is disconcerting, we are fortunately able to alter the compatibility of these microscopic bacteria by changing what we eat. These changes take quick effect within 24 hours of dietary changes.

The investigation has led researchers to hypothesize that gut bacteria might be affecting what food a person chooses to eat due to its interaction with the vagus nerve, or the nerve that connects 100 million nerve cells in the digestive tract to the base of the brain.

"Microbes have the capacity to manipulate behavior and mood by way of altering the neural signals in the vagus nerve, changing taste receptors, creating toxins to make us feel bad, and releasing chemical rewards to make us really feel good," said Aktipis.

She went on to say that targeting microbiomes could probably stop a wide range of diseases like diabetes and cancer of the gastro-intestinal tract.

"We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the significance of the microbiome for human well-being," she said.

TagsAthena Atkipis, gut bacteria